I am pro-life. I oppose abortion under any circumstances, no matter how psychologically painful or even physically dangerous carrying a pregnancy to term might be for the mother. I am pro-life because I believe that an unborn child is a human being from the moment of conception and that it’s always wrong to take an innocent human life. Did I not believe the first point to be true, my position would be different. When an unborn child is denied its humanity, there is no reason to protect it in the womb.

Let me repeat: I am pro-life because I believe that an unborn child is a human being from the moment of conception. These are not “only words” to me; in terms of their need to be loved, cherished and protected, I see no difference between an embryo, a fetus, a newborn and a toddler.

Recent conversations with both people who describe themselves as pro-choice and people who describe themselves as “pro-life,” have brought me to the conclusions that to many people, these are only words.

People who are pro-choice hear what I’m saying but have only a superficial understanding of my meaning; they still can’t understand why I want to deny women their “right to choose.” For these people, my words are only words. That’s to be expected; there’s no reason they should understand the depth of my belief and in not understanding, it’s no wonder that my position angers them.

More disturbing are self-described pro-lifers who agree that an unborn child is a human being, but would still grant a woman the right to terminate a pregnancy for so-called compassionate reasons – in cases of rape, incest or danger to her own life. For these people, their own words – their own beliefs, apparently – are only words. In the cases of rape and incest, people who would be horrified to see a ten-year-old jailed for the crimes of his father feel its acceptable for a ten-week-old fetus to be given the death penalty for the same, as if the circumstances surrounding an unborn child’s conception have a bearing on the value of its life. They would be shocked to see a mother put her five-year-old child between herself and an attacking dog, but also accept that same mother’s right to abort her five-month-old fetus for reasons of her own health.

To hold a pro-life position based on the humanity of the unborn child, while still wanting to allow for abortion in certain circumstances is a position that cannot be supported through logic or reason. Furthermore it’s my opinion that this position is less moral than that of the pro-choice individual who holds a sincere belief that the unborn child is lacking humanity.

In fact, I find it to be morally abhorrent; when I say I object to abortion as the unjustified taking of an innocent human life, it’s not “only words” to me.